Impact of listening to music while wearing a ski helmet on sound source localization

Objectives In recreational skiing and snowboarding, listening to music may be associated with an increased injury risk due to impaired sound localization. Thus, we evaluated effects of listening to music at different sound levels on sound source localization while wearing a ski helmet. Design within-subjects design. Method Sound source localization of 20 participants (50% females; age: 23.8 ± 2.4 years) was assessed in an anechoic chamber under six conditions: (1) head bare, (2) wearing a ski helmet, (3) wearing a ski helmet and insert ear phones, and (4–6) the latter and listening to music at 3 different sound levels of 45, 55, and 65 dB sound pressure level (SPL), respectively. Results One-way repeated measures ANOVA show that the percentage of correct sound localization was significantly affected by various conditions: F (5, 95) = 138.2, p Conclusions Listening to music while wearing a ski helmet impacts negatively on sound source localization. The extent of worsening strongly depends on the sound level.